Twenty-six odd years after making his Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association first XI debut, Werribee captain Tim O’Brien played game 200 on Saturday.
After making his first XI debut as a 13-year-old with Melton, O’Brien went on to spend 10 years at Victorian Premier Cricket.
He returned to Subbies at the age of 26 and decided to join Werribee.
It’s where he would become one of the club’s and competition’s top players.
O’Brien said it was pretty special to play his 200 first XI game in the competition.
“It’s taken a while,” he said. “It’s nice to get through and tick it off.
“I made my debut at Melton at 13 and I didn’t know what was going to happen in the future.
“I came back to Subbies at 26 and was hopeful of playing the game to where I am now.
“I never thought I would get there.”
O’Brien said making his debut so young was a bit of a surprise.
He hadn’t played a second XI game at that stage and was thrown into the deep end.
“It was a long time ago,” he recalls.
“I had great support there. My dad and brother were playing back then and Anthony Gale was the coach back then.”
O’Brien then took his chance at Victorian Premier Cricket with Footscray.
Once he was done there at only 26, there was still plenty of cricket to be played.
“I knew a few of the guys at Werribee,” he said. “I live in Eynesbury and it’s in close proximity.
“I wanted to play Subbies and I’m glad I picked here. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
In the years since, the nearly 40-year-old has made almost 6000 runs, won three Jeff Dean batting awards and five Kirk Norton champion player awards.
He’s captained the first XI for the past 10 seasons and was head coach for five seasons.
The Tigers have also tasted the ultimate success in that time.
“The first year we made the grand final against Melton,” he said. “It took a while to get back there.
“There was the Covid interrupted grand final and then we were able to get a couple of premierships in a row.”
O’Brien said the premierships and the friendships were the most treasured things from his time at the club.
Having been part of a core group for a number of years, O’Brien is leading that next generation through now.
“It’s a transition phase and the younger blokes keep me young.”
The Tigers were able to celebrate the milestone game with a win against Box Hill.
Bowled out for just 131, the Tigers were able to sneak home as they were bowled Box Hill out for 120.
“It’s 20 less than I would have liked,” he said. “In the second 15 overs we took 5-30 to get back into the game and were able to get the win by 10 runs.
O’Brien said he would love to keep playing for as long as possible but it’s all dependent on how the body holds up.
